The final score may obscure it, but the Binghamton men’s basketball team hung tight with Atlantic-10 member St. Bonaventure at the Events Center this afternoon.
Though the match concluded with the visitors up 18 points, 69-51, the Bonnies (7-2) only pulled away in the last quarter of the game. Prior to that point, Binghamton (1-12) consistently kept the game within five points. After a jumper from sophomore forward Nick Madray — who poured in 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field through his 30 minutes — the Bearcats even got as close as one, 35-34, with 14:16 remaining in the game.
But the Bearcats dropped the ball amidst an increased Bonnies defensive pressure in the last quarter of the game, and Binghamton suffered its 10th straight loss. St. Bonaventure began to run its 1-3-1 press about halfway through the second half, and according to BU head coach Tommy Dempsey, it “changed the game.”
“I thought we were right there,” Dempsey continued. “We were getting the ball up the court quicker, we were getting some easy baskets, had a couple three-point plays, and then I thought the 1-3-1 was disruptive … and I thought we struggled against it.”
What was most disruptive for Binghamton was the press coupled with the length and athleticism of the Bonnies. Specifically junior forward Dion Wright caused Binghamton to turn the ball over, and 7-foot senior center Youssou Ndoye wasn’t making scoring in the paint any easier. Though the Bearcats were within two, 38-36, with 13:28 remaining in the game, the Bonnies forced five miscues over the next 3:40 and embarked upon a 9-0 run to build an 11-point lead, 47-36.
From there, the Bonnies’ lead would swell to as many 21 points. Ndoye made some noise with seven minutes to go, pulling down three boards, blocking a Bearcat dunk, and scoring five with a dunk of his own within a minute. A sunken trey from freshman guard Jaylen Adams — who was clutch from behind the arc for the Bonnies in the second half, converting 4-of-5 3-pointers in the half — and St. Bonaventure had pulled away, 63-44, with just five minutes left.
The Bearcats had been good at retaliating and pulling in close the preceding 35 minutes, but they wouldn’t come back from this one.
“What happens is, then we have five or six empty possessions in a row, and they make a couple of threes and when you fought so hard to get it to two, now you’re back to 10,” Dempsey explained of the impact of the 1-3-1 press. “And then we had to extend our zone a little bit and then they were able to get it down the baseline and a couple easy baskets because we got down so we had to extend and that’s how it ended up at 18. I thought it was a closer game than that.”
Throughout the first half, it was much closer. St. Bonaventure wasn’t very dominant: The Bonnies finished out the half shooting 32.3 percent from the floor — which isn’t much lower than their season average, which stands at a 42.1 percent clip. Binghamton capitalized on all those loose balls in the last five of the half. Freshman forward Willie Rodriguez was especially effective on the glass for the Bearcats, grabbing four in the last four minutes and helping limit the Bonnies to just three points in the closing five minutes. That paved the way for a mere four-point gap heading into halftime, 26-22.
Throughout the game, but in the first half especially, Madray was crucial for Binghamton. The 6-foot-9 Ontario native carried his team in the first ten minutes of the game, shooting an initial 3 for 3 from the floor to keep the Bearcats in scoring distance after sophomore guard Yosef Yacob’s opening basket.
Atypically, Madray’s first two buckets were dunks. And he actually dunked three times throughout the game.
“I don’t think he has three dunks in his career,” Dempsey said.
Madray only attempted three shots from distance, and converted two of those. Most of his points came from inside, and that was a deliberate move on Dempsey’s behalf.
“We made a concentrated effort to make sure that his first few touches were on the inside, and then try to work his game from the inside out,” the head coach said. “We have to get him more aggressive around the basket.”
Madray finished the game tied for most points scored, sharing the distinction with St. Bonaventure junior guard Marcus Posley. While each chipped in 20, Madray’s 69.2 percent clip holds a hefty advantage over Posley’s 41.1 percent mark. Maray also pulled down six boards and recorded two blocks.
It’s a side of Madray we haven’t yet seen this season, and hopefully it’s not like last season: Madray left today’s game with 4:33 remaining after injuring his left ankle. Last season, after he started settling into a grind, Madray suffered a season-ending groin/hip injury. Dempsey had no information on the severity of tonight’s injury at the time of the press conference.
Either way, Dempsey saw something promising in the fight his team brought today. And with two more non-conference matchups left before the Bearcats open their America East slate, it’s about time that improvement leads to some positive results.
“I know the scores are what the scores are and there’s no substitute for winning, but … I think we’re playing better,” Dempsey said, referencing this game and the team’s 63-49 loss to Boston College as evidence. “Regardless of the outcome, you know what you’re looking at. We’re playing better.
Next up for Binghamton is a Monday matchup at Mount St. Mary’s. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, Maryland.